Burlington, Vermont Weekend Trip
My friends and I visit Vermont every October (self plug for my Woodstock blog post HERE! ) and it is my favorite weekend of the year. In 2022, we decided to go up to Burlington, Vermont- the largest city in the state. It was the perfect fall weekend trip with the foliage changing the landscape to vibrant hues of oranges, yellows and reds, the free spirited energy, locally sourced ingredients at all of the restaurants and the endless beer breweries. This post is geared toward the fall time in Vermont, but I must add it is a desired place to visit year round. For the skiers, winter is best but for the hikers it’s the summer.
There is a special place in my heart for Vermont- so see below all of my favorite things we did during that weekend.
WHERE TO STAY
We wanted to stay in a place where we were surrounded by nature and stumbled onto this treehouse airbnb. Waking up in the October crisp air allowed me to relax and refresh.
Some hotels I have heard about but haven’t stayed at personally-
Hotel Vermont
The Pitcher Inn
Shelburne Farms Inn
Blind Tiger Burlington
Made Inn Vermont
GETTING AROUND
A quick geography lesson for Burlington, Vermont. From Boston- Burlington is a four hour drive, from NYC- a six hour drive, from Montreal- a ninety minute drive. Personally, I would say a car would be easier to get around if you want to see more of the Greater Burlington Area. If that is not possible for you, the Burlington Airport is only a ten minute drive to downtown Burlington or the Amtrak train has a stop in Burlington.
THINGS TO DO
Church Street Marketplace
Address: 131 Church St, Burlington, VT 05401
Located in downtown Burlington, Church Street Marketplace is a pedestrian only street with shops and restaurants. Most of the shops are small independently owned places which really adds to the small town charm Vermont has to offer.
You never know, you could run into Bernie Sanders among these streets.
WATERFRONT PARK
Address: 20 Lake St, Burlington, VT 05401
After walking down Church Street, we headed down to Waterfront Park. The park is located along the Lake Champlain shoreline with incredible views of the Adirondacks. The lake has bike/walking trails surrounding the shoreline for miles for enjoyment.
Fun fact- Lake Champlain is the 13th largest lake in the United States. Keep a look out for Champ, the lake monster.
Ben & Jerry’s
Address: 1281 Waterbury-Stowe Rd Route 100, Waterbury Village Historic District, VT 05676
Cost: Under $10
The famous ice cream company was founded in Burlington in 1978. The original store is in downtown Burlington but you can also do a factory tour a few towns over in Waterbury. The Ben & Jerry’s factory offers a 30 minute guided tour that includes a free ice scoop of ice cream while checking out the manufacturing floor with photos ops around. If you do want to do a tour, book in advance as we went the day of and it was sold out. If you aren’t interested in doing a official tour, you still have the option to buy a sweet treat and head to the flavor graveyard where the failed flavors are to find eternal rest.
Breweries
Vermont might be known for its natural beauty, but Vermont is also know for having more craft breweries per capita than any other US state. A brewery tour would be such a fun activity to do. But if you wanted to do a self guided tour, see below for a solid list of places to visit.
Citizen Cedar
Address: 316 Pine St #114, Burlington, VT 05401
Zero Gravity
Address: 716 Pine St, Burlington, VT 05401
Switchback Brewing Company
Address: 160 Flynn Ave, Burlington, VT 05401
Queen City Brewery
Address: 703 Pine St, Burlington, VT 05401
Foam Brewers
Address: 112 Lake St, Burlington, VT 05401
Fiddlehead Brewing Company
Address: 6305 Shelburne Rd, Shelburne, VT 05482
HIKING
According to the Vermont’s Parks and Rec department - “Vermont’s forests cover 4,591,281 acres of land. That is equal to 78% of the state, a level which has remained steady since the 1980s'“ which means Vermont offers plenty of hiking available. See below for some recs.
Mount Philo
Address: 5425 Mt Philo Rd, Charlotte, VT 05445
Sunset Ridge Trail
Address: Sunset Ridge Trail, Underhill, VT 05489
Camels Hump Trail
Address: 3429 Camels Hump Rd, Duxbury, VT 05676
Smugglers Notch
Shelburne Farms
Address: 1611 Harbor Rd, Shelburne, VT 05482
Overlooking Lake Champlain, Shelburne Farms is a working dairy farm with cheese making, a bakery, various farms animals to pet and walking trails built by a member of the Vanderbilt family. You could spend a night here as they have a inn attached or just visit for the day.
The Cold Hollow Cider Mill
Address: 3600 Waterbury-Stowe Rd, Waterbury Center, VT 05677
The Cold Hollow Cider Mill is a market for all Vermont goods- cider tasting, apple cider donuts, syrups and various souvenirs.
STOWE, VERMONT
Much like Burlington, Stowe is a charming, classic New England town located at the foot of Mount Mansfield- Vermont’s highest peak. Around an hour east of Burlington, Stowe could be a whole separate long weekend trip but we only had time to visit for a few hours. During our day in Stowe we went on the Stowe Gondola Skyride and drove through Smugglers Notch.
Stowe Gondola Skyride
Address: 7416 Mountain Rd, Stowe, VT 05672
Cost: $37
The Stowe Gondola Skyride brings you to the top of Mt. Manfield where you can admire the foliage from up top. I would book in advance as it does sell out quickly. The ride is around 20 minutes but you are free to stay up at the top as long as you want. There is a restaurant and a gift shop to enjoy as well.
Von TraPp family lodge
Address: 700 Trapp Hill Rd, Stowe, VT 05672
The Von Trapp Family Lodge is owned and run by the real family that inspired the musical - The Sound of Music. The lodge is on a 2,500 acre mountain resort with Austrian-inspired architecture. If you are not planning on staying here, the lodge does have a brewery and restaurant to visit. The surrounding scenery beautiful enough to take the time to just visit and wander around.
RESTAURANTS
See below for all of my restaurant recs for the greater Burlington area!
Hen of The Wood
Address: 55 Cherry St, Burlington, VT 05401 (Burlington location) and 14 S Main St, Waterbury Village Historic District, VT 05676 (Waterbury location)
Cuisine: American
August First
Address: 149 S Champlain St, Burlington, VT 05401
Cuisine: Cafe
Philo Ridge Farm
Address: 2766 Mt Philo Rd, Charlotte, VT 05445
Cuisine: Farm to Table Fine Dining
Everything plated is from harvested their farm. Def my favorite!
The Skinny Pancake
Address: 60 Lake St, Burlington, VT 05401
Cuisine: Breakfast/Brunch
Leunig’s
Address: 115 Church St, Burlington, VT 05401
Cuisine: French
American FlatBread
Address: 115 St Paul St, Burlington, VT 05401
Cuisine: Craft beer and wood-fired pizzas
The Farmhouse Tap & Grill
Address: 160 Bank St, Burlington, VT 05401
Cuisine: Farm-to-table gastropub & seasonal beer garden
A Single Pebble
Address: 133 Bank St, Burlington, VT 05401
Cuisine: Chinese
Vermont Artisan Coffee & Tea
Address: 11 Cabin Ln, Waterbury Center, VT 05677
Cuisine: Cafe
Thank you for reading and enjoy Vermont!
xoxo Jenna